Who Is Li Qiang, the Man who Ousted Li Keqiang to Become China’s New Premier?

Li Qiang is likely to become the second most powerful leader of China after Chinese president Xi Jinping. He will be named China’s next premier replacing Li Keqiang at the annual legislative session. Keqiang is stepping down after two terms.

Li Qiang is among the band of yes men who have been appointed to top positions in the Politburo and he has been anointed as the second-ranking Politburo Standing Committee member, without any public or official announcement.

Li is a trusted aide of Xi Jinping and it is likely that because of being in Xi’s good books he has bagged the important post.

It should be noted that Li Qiang’s reputation took a beating when protests began in Shanghai during the lockdown.

Li Qiang was the Communist party chief of Shanghai when a fresh wave of infections pushed Shanghai into a harsh lockdown which threatened to create unrest, an unlikely situation in China, in the global financial hub.

There was even a video where Qiang was taking notes as Chunlan pointed out the issues with Shanghai’s so-called Covid outbreak and management.

Many had even tipped Qiang to not rise in the party hierarchy following his management of the outbreak.

Almost more than six months after the lockdown, Qiang has risen and Chunlan has exited. Chunlan’s tenure had already ended but the Politburo does not boast any female members.

Xi Jinping and Li Qiang developed a close relationship when Xi was Zhejiang province’s top party boss and Qiang served as his chief of staff and his personal assistant from 2004 until 2007.

When Xi became president in 2012, Li was promoted first to governor of Zhejiang and then was chosen to be the party secretary of Jiangsu province.

These roles are necessary since any member aiming to rise up the ranks of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has to have regional administration experience especially in an impoverished province of the country.

Until 2017, Qiang also edited Xi’s speeches and also helped in policymaking.

In 2017, when Xi Jinping became president for the second time, he appointed Qiang as Shanghai party chief.

Willy Lam, a senior fellow at Jamestown Foundation, a Washington-based think tank, told the Guardian that Qiang is aware he owes his rise to Xi which may lead to Qiang never over-asserting himself or going against Xi Jinping.

Qiang will face a tough task of introducing new measures to boost growth and boost the Chinese economy facing pressure due to Covid Zero and the mortgage boycotts.

He is described as pragmatist and pro-business, according to analysts speaking to the Guardian. He also has to focus on innovation and hi-tech industries and the semiconductor industry, all three which remain on top of Xi Jinping’s list for boosting the Chinese economy.

But unlike his predecessor Li Keqiang, who not only possessed a subtle ability to defy Xi and silently led an anti-Xi faction, Qiang is unlikely to question Xi. “He owes his position to Xi. So whatever Xi tells him to do, he will implement it,” Lam was quoted as saying by the Guardian.

It is visible that Qiang does what Xi commands through the Shanghai Covid lockdown. Xi wanted strict implementation of Covid Zero and Qiang responded.

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